burnish
pronunciation
How to pronounce burnish in British English:
UK [ˈbɜːnɪʃ]
How to pronounce burnish in American English:
US [ˈbɜːrnɪʃ]
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- Noun:
- the property of being smooth and shiny
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- Verb:
- polish and make shiny
Word Origin
- burnish
- burnish: see brown
- burnish (v.)
- early 14c., from Old French burniss- present participle stem of burnir, metathesis of brunir "to shine, gleam, sparkle" (trans.), "to polish, make sparkle, make bright, shine," from brun "brown; polished," from Frankish or some other Germanic source (compare Old High German brun, Old Norse brunn "bright, polished; brown;" see brown (adj.)). The connection to "brown" might be explained if the original objects in mind were wooden ones. Related: Burnished; burnishing.
Example
- 1. The memoirist 's habit of stealing credit from others to burnish his crime-busting image has infected the narrative .
- 2. In the midst of a financial crisis seen as emanating from wall street , a demonstration of leadership would help burnish " brand america " .
- 3. Also in london this week will be the colombian president , juan manuel santos , who is keen to burnish new trade and investment links with the uk . Once written off as a narco-state , colombia 's economy is now attracting growing foreign investment .